Steep spar

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Steep Holm
(Ynys Rhonech, Steopanreolice)
Stholm2.jpg
Waters Atlantic Ocean
Geographical location 51 ° 20 ′  N , 3 ° 7 ′  W Coordinates: 51 ° 20 ′  N , 3 ° 7 ′  W
Steep Holm (England)
Steep spar
length 1 km
width 0.4dep1
Highest elevation 78  m ASL

Steep Holm ( Welsh Ynys Rhonech , Old English : Ronech , Steopanreolice ) is an English island in the Bristol Channel . The island has an area of ​​48.87 acres (19.78 hectares) at high tide and extends to 63.26 acres (25.6 hectares) at low tide. The highest point is 78 m above sea level . The island historically belongs to Somerset and administratively to North Somerset . From April 1, 1974 to April 1, 1996, it was part of the County of Avon . The nearby Flat Holm is part of Wales .

The island is made up of carboniferous limestone and rises 200 ft (61 m) from the sea. This structure makes it the wind breaker and breakwater for the upper sections of the Bristol Channel. The only islanders at the moment are the overseers. The island is protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and has a large bird population, as well as rare plants such as the coral peony (Paeonia mascula; peonia). There was a watchtower with a beacon on the island as far back as Roman times , but the settlement may date back to the Iron Age . Saint Gildas lived here in the 6th century , and later there was a small Augustinian monastery (12th / 13th centuries). In 1832 an inn was built which was used as a holiday home in the 19th century. A bird sanctuary was established in 1931 and leased to charitable trusts from 1951. Today it is looked after by the Kenneth Allsop Memorial Trust .

In the 1860s the island was developed into a fortress as one of the Palmerston forts and equipped with ten 7-inch rifled muzzle loaders . These defenses of the Bristol Canal were abandoned in 1898. The fort was in the First and Second World War stocked again with Mark VII 6-inch breech-loading guns and a searchlight was installed. In order to facilitate the transport of material, the soldiers of the Indian Army Service Corps first used mules and built a cable-operated winched switchback railway.

Geology and ecology

Calf rock

The island consists of Carboniferous Limestone (coal Leading limestone ) and is often called geological continuation of the Mendip Hills and Brean Down viewed; however, the spatial orientation of the rock layers differs from that at Brean Down. On Steep Holm the strike is 30 ° north while on Brean Down the strike is 30 ° south. There are some folds and crevices with angles of extension of up to 75 °, which probably occurred towards the end of the Variscan Orogeny in the Carboniferous , before 300 million. Years ago.

The island rises about 61 meters above the surrounding area and covers 49 acres (20 hectares) at high tide, while the area expands to 63 acres (25 hectares) at low tide. The tidal range is 43 ft (13 m), which is only exceeded in the Bay of Fundy in eastern Canada . There are many caves and grottoes on the island and sinkholes in the surrounding seabed that can be up to 60 m deep. It is believed that these are caves that have collapsed. The caves in the cliffs of the island are mainly found within two specific horizons: There are caves in the intertidal zone that are regularly flooded and in which stalactites grow, and caves that are high up in the cliffs and apparently in prehistoric times Level of the waterline.

Steep Holm has been a Nature Reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest since 1952 . The bird population consists largely of herring gulls (Larus argentatus) and herring gulls (Larus fuscus). There is also a small population of muntjacs . The island's plateau has a layer of topsoil with a thickness of 15 cm to 30 cm. The soil has a reddish color due to iron tracks in the rock and consists of sand particles with a diameter of less than 0.099 mm. The island is the only location of the coral peony (Paeonia mascula) in Great Britain . Unfortunately, the last specimens were destroyed by an infection with a Botrytis fungus. The wild peony may have been introduced from the Mediterranean by monks or even in Roman times. Another rare plant species are smyrnium olusatrum ( "Alexander" - Smyrnium olusatrum), golden samphire (Golden Samphire), Plantago Coronopus ( "Buck's-horn Plantain" - Plantago coronopus) and Allium Ampeloprasum ( "wild leeks" - Allium ampeloprasum). The only reptiles on the island are slow worms ( "slow worms" - Anguis fragilis).

history

prehistory

Aerial view of the island

The earliest evidence of human activity on the island is eddies of red deer discovered during excavation work in Five Johns' Cave in 1975 . Machined flint stones from the Mesolithic and blades from the Neolithic were discovered during excavations of the Priory between 1977 and 1992.

Roman remains, probably a watchtower or a signal platform, were discovered through an electrical resistance measurement during mapping work. However, it is difficult to clearly interpret the structures as they were built over during construction work in the Victorian Age and World War II . A carved stone head discovered in 1991 is likely of Celtic origin. In addition, broken pieces of cookware and a few luxury items such as arretine ware , brooches from the Latène period and a Spanish amphora (90–140 AD) were found, as well as some broken glass from Nene Valley Color Coated Ware (Castor ware). Fragments of bricks and drainage tiling suggest that there might have been a building with a heating system. Coins have been found from the time of Claudius Gothicus (268–270) and Tetricus I (271–273).

Christian settlement

The west plateau.

According to a legend first recorded by John Leland in the 16th century, Saint Gildas , the author of De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae , lived on the island in the 6th century. He arrived at Steep Holm after visiting his friend, Saint Cadoc , who lived as a hermit on Flat Holm. It is said that Gildas left the island after pirates from the Orkneys stole his servant and furnishings. He then became abbot of Glastonbury Abbey . The Vikings moved into quarters at Steep Holm in the summer of 914 and started raids from there to Somerset, including to Watchet and Porlock . It says so in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle . At the end of the 12th century a small monastery of the Canon Regulars of St. Michael was built. The building measured 22 × 4.6 m. During excavations, the location of the cells and other structures were still clearly visible. It is not known exactly when the monastery was founded. In the 13th century, documents mention William de Cantilupe († 1239) as patron. His family also had patronage rights over Studley Priory in Warwickshire . The granddaughter married Lord Robert de Tregoz, who acquired freehold for the island. However, the benefices for the monastery decreased more and more, which led to the abandonment between 1260 and 1265. The rest of the monks returned to Studley Priory. A memorial stone made of Blue Lias slate with a Cross of Lorraine was discovered in 1867 during the fortification works on the island. It was installed in one of the armories, which gave this structure the name "Tombstone Battery" (tombstone battery).

Tenure

The ruins of the Old Inn.

The island seems to have belonged to the Bek family , along with the lands of Uphill and Christon , at least Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln was enfeoffed by them. The next title deed is from the Berkeley family with Maurice de Berkeley , who owned it in 1315. Then the area was used as warren (rabbit breeding) in the 14th and 15th centuries. The country folk lived in the crumbling monastery buildings. In 1453 the island was owned (overlordship) by James Butler, 4th Earl of Ormonde and in 1460 the patronage rights were exercised by Margaret Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury . In the following years the ownership of various areas, including Norton Beauchamps, that was connected to the island, was controversial. In the 16th century, Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset received the rights and soon afterwards lost large areas again, such as Brean , which Steep Holm was then attached to. The descendants of Seymour acquired it again and kept it until the 17th century, although it appears that their only activities on Steep Holm were the employment of gull watchers and fishermen. In 1684 the Norton Beauchamp Estate was sold to Edward Ryder. Apparently it was then auctioned off by a Court of Chancery decree 11 years later (1695), possibly because of difficulties in maintaining naval defenses along the Somerset coast. In 1699 the land, together with Steep Holm, were sold back to Philip Freke from Bristol, whose descendants were the owners for the next 130 years. Freke's granddaughter married into the family of John Willes , who was Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas and Member of Parliament . During this time, possibly around 1776, a new cottage for fishermen was built on Steep Holm. The stones from the monastery ruins were used for this. In 1830 the island was sold again - depending on the source to a cousin of John Freke Willes (William Willes) or to a lawyer from Weston-super-Mare (John Baker).

In 1832 the island was leased to Colonel Tynte from Halswell House , who built an inn for boatmen. The restaurant was run by the Harris family and supplied with rum and tobacco bought from the ships. The family claimed that the island was outside of customs. Only in 1884 was the opposite proven in a court case. The pub was later run by W. L. Davies, who offered fishing, hunting, and boating tours. Then a new pier was built near the restaurant. In 1835 John Ashley from Clevedon worked as a volunteer pastor for the people on the island and on the neighboring Flat Holm. Ashley founded the Bristol Channel Mission for seafarers on the then 400 ships in the Bristol Channel. The organization developed into the Mission to Seafarers , which to this day offers pastoral care in over 200 ports.

Palmerston Fort

Split Rock Battery.

In the 1860s, Steep Holm and Flat Holm were both developed as defensive bases. The island was fortified after Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visited France and expressed concern about the strength of the French Navy . The Royal Commission on the Defense of the United Kingdom , headed by Lord Palmerston, recommended fortifying the coast, making the island part of the strategic defense system. The so-called Palmerston Forts , which were built in a line across the canal, were supposed to secure the access to Bristol and Cardiff . Construction began in 1865 and was completed in 1869 under John Perry. The work included the construction of a mule road on the plateau, a lime kiln for the production of lime mortar to build the barracks, and gun emplacements with the ammunition stores.

The gun emplacements were named "Summit Battery", "Laboratory Battery", "Garden Battery" and "Tombstone Battery". Together with the barracks buildings, they have now been included in the Statutory List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest . In addition, a "Master-Gunners House", an inn and a water reservoir with a capacity of 220,000 liters were created. The cistern is located below the barracks building and collects rainwater from the roofs. The brick building is 16.7 m long, 4.8 m wide and 4.5 m high with a vaulted roof. The armament consisted of ten 7-inch rifled muzzle loaders Mk III, which were distributed over six batteries. These were later replaced by Armstrong 6-inch RML guns. Some of the gun emplacements belong to the "Scheduled Monuments", and the remains of a central barracks complex are still there. In 1898 test attacks were made by the HMS Arrogant , a ship of the Arrogant class, on the Rudder Rock battery , which made it clear that the fixed gun emplacements on Steep Holm could no longer withstand attacks by modern warships. As a result, the military facilities were shut down. However, military oversight on the island was maintained until 1908 when the island was eventually leased to James Sleeman and his family. In 1927 the first test of the RAE Larynx ("Long Range Gun with Lynx engine", a "drone") was carried out from Steep Holm. The RAE Larynx was intended to be used as a guided anti-ship weapon.

In the world wars

WWII surveillance post on Rudder Rock.

The military facilities were renewed in both World War I and World War II . From 1915 to 1919 the island was requisitioned by the Admiralty as a coast guard post. After the war, the sleemans returned as farmers and fishermen and occasionally as hosts to tourists. Searchlights were installed during World War II. In 1940 the island overseer, Harry Cox, who had turned the island into a bird sanctuary since 1931 , was hired as a coast guard and supported by the British Home Guard from Weston-super-Mare. In 1940 and 1941, the gun emplacements were reinforced by soldiers from the Indian Army Service Corps . Initially, mules were used to pull the cannons and materials onto the cliffs. The armament consisted of 6-inch breech-loading guns , which were dismantled from warships from the First World War, and Lewis machine guns against air strikes. The Garden Battery was built over two Victorian gun emplacements. Engineers from the Royal Pioneer Corps improved living conditions by releasing sheep that could be used as food in an emergency and, following a case of typhoid , drinking water was imported from South Wales. In order to facilitate the transport of materials, a new jetty was built, which was connected to the plateau by a funicular with a track width of 60 cm (24 in). This railway was captured by the Germans during the First World War. The Steep Holm Batteries were also connected to the Brean Down Fort batteries by underwater telegraph cables . The cables were stolen after the end of World War II.

post war period

The MV Balmoral in front of the former barracks buildings.

In 1953 the island was leased to the Steep Holm Trust , which was supported by four regional institutions: Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society , Bristol Naturalists Society , Mid-Somerset Naturalists and Bristol Folk House Archaeological Club . Some of the buildings have been restored and a bird ringing program has started. In 1974 the lease expired and was taken over by the Kenneth Allsop Memorial Trust . The trust was founded in memory of radio presenter and naturalist Kenneth Allsop . The Trust acquired the island in 1976.

Visits are possible. The Trust runs day trips by boat from Weston-super-Mare. A visitor center has been set up in one of the old barracks buildings. In 1980 scenes from the Bollywood film Shaan were shot on the island.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Legg 1995.
  2. ^ Fifth periodical report - Volume 4 Mapping for the Non-Metropolitan Counties and the Unitary Authorities (PDF) The Boundary Commission for England . February 26, 2007. Archived from the original on July 14, 2013. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved September 6, 2007. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.official-documents.gov.uk
  3. ↑ Coysh, Mason, Waite 1977. p. 2
  4. ^ GCR block - Variscan Structures of South-West England. Joint Nature Conservation Committee. May 3, 2015.
  5. ↑ Legg 1993. pp. 24-25.
  6. ^ Severn Estuary Barrage (PDF) In: UK Environment Agency . May 31, 2006. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved September 3, 2007.
  7. ↑ Chan, Archer 2003. p. 151.
    Coast: Bristol Channel . In: BBC . Retrieved August 27, 2007.
    Legg 1993. p. 24
  8. ↑ a b Steep Holm Island . Victorian cont'd. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  9. ↑ Coysh, Mason, Waite 1977. pp. 75-76
  10. ↑ Legg 1993. p. 25
  11. ↑ Legg 1993. p. 29
  12. ↑ Citation - Steep Holm (PDF) In: English Nature . Retrieved September 6, 2007.
  13. ^ Stanley Lewis: Birds of the Island of Steep Holm . In: British Birds . xxx, 1936, pp. 219-223.
  14. ↑ Smith 2006. p. 4
  15. ↑ Legg 1993. p. 33
  16. ↑ Steep Holm Island, Somerset . The Wildlife Trusts. Archived from the original on July 12, 2015. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved July 11, 2015. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.wildlifetrusts.org
  17. ↑ a b Discover Steep Holm and its history . In: Western Daily Press , May 10, 2014. Archived from the original on July 13, 2015 Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved July 11, 2015. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.westerndailypress.co.uk 
  18. ^ Payne 2011.
  19. ↑ Rendell, Rendell 1993. p. 15
    The Steep Holm Peony . Weston-super-Mare Archaeological and Natural History Society. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  20. ↑ Steep Holm: A peony mystery . Peony Society. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  21. ↑ Atthill 1976. p. 44; Rendell, Rendell 1993. p. 39
  22. ↑ Toulson 1984. p.127
  23. ↑ Legg 1993. p. 35
  24. ↑ Legg 1993. pp. 35-36.
  25. ↑ Roman watchtower on Steep Holm discovered by Bristol University archaeologists . In: Western Daily Press , April 25, 2014. Archived from the original on April 27, 2014 Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved July 12, 2015. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.westerndailypress.co.uk 
  26. ↑ Rendell, Rendell 1993. pp. 18-21.
  27. ↑ Miranda Green: Notes . In: Britania . 24, 1993, pp. 241-242. doi : 10.2307 / 526730 .
    Monument No. 1456111 . Historic England. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  28. ↑ Rendell, Rendell 1993. pp. 12-14.
  29. ↑ Rendell, Rendell 1993. pp. 15-16.
  30. ↑ Rendell Rendell 1993. p. 17.
  31. ↑ Rutter 1829. p. 95
  32. ↑ Clay S. 1914. 9.
    Toulson 1984. p.64
  33. ↑ Legg 1993. pp. 54-55.
  34. ↑ The Bleadon Hills, Brean Down and Steep Holm . Mendip Council. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  35. ↑ Rendell, Rendell 1993. p. 37
  36. ↑ Rendell, Rendell 1993. pp. 54-57.
  37. ↑ Legg 1993. pp. 63-64.
  38. ↑ Rendell, Rendell 1993. pp. 58-59.
  39. ↑ Murphy 2009. p. 174.
    Steepholme Priory . Historic England. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
    Rendell, Rendell 1993. pp. 60-61.
  40. ↑ Rendell, Rendell 1993. pp. 67-71.
  41. ↑ Rendell, Rendell 1993. pp. 76-79.
  42. ↑ Rendell, Rendell 1993. pp. 85-94.
  43. ↑ Coysh, Mason, Waite 1977. pp. 69-70
  44. ↑ Rendell, Rendell 1993. pp. 95-96.
  45. ↑ Rendell, Rendell 1993. pp. 99-100.
  46. ↑ Farr 1954. p. 49
  47. ^ DH Worrall; PR Surtees: Flat Holm  - an account of its history and ecology. South Glamorgan County Council 1984. pp. 18-19
    Saunders 2000. p. 19
  48. ↑ Rendell, Rendell 1993. pp. 123-127.
  49. ^ Tombstone Battery . Historic England. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  50. ^ Garden Battery . Historic England. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  51. ^ Laboratory Battery . Historic England. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  52. ^ Summit Battery . Historic England. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  53. ^ Two Palmerstonian gun batteries on Steep Holm . Historic England. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  54. ^ The Barracks . Historic England. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  55. ↑ van der Bijl 2000. pp. 41-42
  56. ↑ Legg 1991. p. 32
  57. ↑ Saunders 2000. p. 14
  58. ↑ Phillips 2013.
  59. ↑ Steep Holm . Severn Estuary Partnership. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved July 11, 2015. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.severnestuary.net
  60. ^ Two Palmerstonian gun batteries on Steep Holm . Historic England. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  61. ↑ van der Bijl 2000. pp. 42-43
    The Bombardment of the Steep Holm . In: Taunton Courier, and Western Advertiser , August 24, 1898. Retrieved July 12, 2015. 
  62. ↑ Rendell, Rendell 1993. pp. 159-163.
  63. ↑ Legg 1991. pp. 69-70.
  64. ↑ Rendell, Rendell 1993. pp. 163-167.
  65. ↑ Coysh, Mason, Waite S. 1977. 71
  66. ↑ Steep Holm . Willys-MB WW2 transport. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  67. ^ Garden Battery (Steep Holm South) . Historic England. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  68. ↑ Brown 1999. pp. 23-31
  69. ↑ Holland 2010. p. 100
  70. ↑ van der Bijl 2000. p. 101
  71. ↑ Coysh, Mason, Waite 1977. p.76
  72. ↑ Legg 1995.
    The mission statement of the Trust is: "To protect, preserve and enhance for the benefit of the public the landscape, antiquities, flora, fauna, natural beauty and scientific interest of the island of Steep Holm in the County of North Somerset and to advance the education of the public in the natural sciences. "
    Steep spar . The Kenneth Allsop Memorial Trust. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  73. ↑ Explore the Bristol Channel's Holm Islands . MW Marine. Archived from the original on July 13, 2015. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved July 11, 2015. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / mwmarine.org
  74. ↑ Getting to Steep Holm . Steep spar. Archived from the original on July 12, 2015. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved July 11, 2015. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.steepholm.org.uk
  75. ↑ Welcome . Steep spar. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  76. ↑ Legg 1993. pp. 140-141.

literature

Web links

Commons : Steep Holm  - collection of images, videos and audio files